The World of Overseas property will return to Moscow for the 24th Moscow International Property Show on 10-11 April 2015.
Firmly established as the leading event in Russia for the overseas property market, the Moscow International Property Show will again attract more than 7,000 targeted visitors to meet with 200+ International Property Participants.
The completely new Vakantiebeurs has generated a lot of interest among Dutch holidaymakers and given the travel sector a boost. One of the many ‘firsts’ this year was a presentation of the most popular types of holidays in six, much-visited Plazas, provided by specialist international exhibitors. Thanks to the combination of these Plazas and the clear geographical layout of the exhibition by country, it was easy for visitors to find their way around the Vakantiebeurs, which was held from Wednesday 15 January – Sunday 19 January in the Jaarbeurs venue in Utrecht.
Excellent start
VNU Exhibitions Travel Market Manager Editha Hoogenberg, organiser of the Vakantiebeurs: ‘’It’s great that, together with our participants, we were able to give the travel sector a boost this past week. Our exhibitors have given us lots of positive responses to the quality level of the visitors, many of whom actually booked their holiday right there at the Exhibition. As an organisation we are proud that we were able to make such an excellent start to the travel season together with our participants and partners.’’
The Netherlands
A total of 117,073 holidaymakers visited the Exhibition, which is a significant increase of 13% compared to last year. Many of the visitors take several holidays a year. One of the noticeable findings from the evaluation of the Exhibition organisers is the growing interest in European holidays. Of course this doesn’t change the fact that a large proportion of the visitors were also looking for destinations elsewhere in the world. At least one in five visitors came to find out specifically about short trips or longer holidays in the Netherlands.
When asked about their anticipated spending level for future holidays, the visitors of the Vakantiebeurs indicated that on average they will be spending nearly 3300 euro per person per year on holidays. This is three times as much as the amount of just over 1100 euro the average Dutch holidaymaker spent on holidays last year.
Visitors named Italy, France and Germany/Spain as the top 3 popular destinations in Europe. Greece rose significantly in popularity and comes 4th, followed by Austria/Switzerland in 5th place. The most popular destinations outside Europe are Asia, the United States/Canada, Africa, Central and South America and the Caribbean respectively.
The main reasons for people to visit the Vakantiebeurs were: collecting specific information, finding inspiration, selecting a holiday, a day out and entertainment, the exclusive exhibition offers and finding additional information about a holiday they have already booked. The holidaymakers’ preference for a hotel as the most popular accommodation shows a clear desire for a bit of luxury during the holidays, followed by camping, a guesthouse/B&B and an apartment.
There were plenty of camping aficionados among the visitors, who like to go exploring with their caravan, camper van, pop-up camping trailer or tent. To be able to give this group – and especially the non-campers – a sense of the real camping experience a spectacular and highly visited Camping by Night exhibit had been set up in a darkened hall of the Vakantiebeurs. Avid campers will also be able to look forward to and research the 50th edition of the Camping and Caravan Fair scheduled to be held at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht from 8-12 October.
Germany was the Guest Country at the Vakantiebeurs and made every effort to promote the country, the regions and the cities among the visitors. Among other things the country surprised the visitors with a wine tasting and was also present in all the Plazas with the most popular types of holidays, to draw attention to the country’s enormous variety as a tourist destination.
The themes ‘Sail’ (Cruises & Sailing), ‘Active’ (Bicycling & Walking), ‘Together’ (Families & Children), ‘Discover’ (Adventure & Remote Destinations), ‘Outside’ (Camping) and ‘Look’ (Cities & Culture) were selected for the different Plazas. The ‘Look’ Plaza was the most popular, followed by ‘Discover’, ‘Outside’, ‘Active’, ‘Together’ and ‘Sail’. The cruise options in ‘Sail’ constitute only a small segment of the total holiday sector, but still attracted the attention of 1 in 5 Vakantiebeurs visitors.
Other ‘firsts’ were the participation of UNESCO with a focus on World Heritage, the Zoom.nl photography pavilion, the Vakantiebeurs Photo Competition and the Culinary Route with tasty traditional snacks and drinks at six varied destinations. For the first time in the history of the Vakantiebeurs the Dutch Railways put on two extra trains for Exhibition visitors. This ‘Vakantiebeurs Express’ ran on Saturday from Zwolle to Utrecht via Amersfoort and delivered the passengers in an excellent mood and fully informed about the Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht.
The public days of the 2015 Vakantiebeurs will be Wednesday 14 January – Sunday 18 January.
We’ve all heard of armchair travel: the perfect way to momentarily escape from one’s stressful, over-scheduled life. People used to relax, grab a copy of the New York Times Travel section, and let their minds wander to their own private paradise. If they were reading an article about Italy, they might even accompany their armchair trip with a big bowl of pasta.
That trend, unfortunately, is so 20th Century. Not many people have time to sit in an armchair, and even fewer read actual newspapers or books. A big bowl of Pasta Bolognese? Forget it. Carbs went out with wearing leotards to the gym. People want to multi-task and lose weight whilst clad in black leggings and Lululemon. They keep going until their minds and bodies just can’t take it anymore. The solution: a yoga retreat.
The yoga retreat isn’t a new concept, but its popularity has gained critical momentum over the years. Surfing and yoga in Costa Rica, or yoga and shamanic experiences in Peru are examples of two popular combinations.
But what happens when people no longer have time for a retreat? How do they fit any “me time” at all into their busy schedules? A new business, appropriately named “The Flying Carpet,” seems to have the solution. It allows yogis from around the world to stream live yoga classes from Madrid. And if people are too busy to take an hour long class, they can get a “Yoga Reboot,” which delivers a clear mind and relaxed body in only 20 minutes.
The business recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on the international platform Indiegogo. They’re currently raising money to launch Phase 1 of The Flying Carpet, which is opening the studio in Madrid and creating downloadable content such as yoga class videos and mindfulness MP3′s. Phase 2 of the The Flying Carpet project will see the concept expand to other cities around the globe, so yoga enthusiasts everywhere can replace their armchair travel with yoga travel. Someone needs to invent a yoga pose called The Traveling Yogi!
A ministerial decision introducing a new mandatory star rating system for hotels in Greece was published on Friday in the Government Gazette.
The decision focuses on hotel services and other technical requirements that hotels in Greece must fulfil, particularly those of higher categories.
According to the decision, hotels in Greece will be ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Each hotel is classified into one of the five categories if they follow the minimum standards and collect the minimum number of points required for classification.
Among other things, the decision specifies the plot plan minimum requirements for hotel construction in accordance with general and specific planning provisions.
Also, hotels are now obliged to provide rooms designed for guests with a disability or reduced mobility. The minimum number of rooms for guests with disabilities is set at five percent of the total capacity of the hotel.
The special operational seals issued under the previous classification system automatically cease to apply on December 31, 2017. By this date all hotels in Greece are required to have a rating certificate in accordance with the provisions of the new decision.
Mobility solutions for top requirements: Sixt car rental received the accolade of “World’s Leading Business Car Rental Company” at the World Travel Awards (WTA). In addition, the Sixt Limousine Service was named the “World’s Leading Luxury Chauffeur Service.” The World Travel Awards are considered the highest distinction in the travel and tourism industry. The awarding of prizes is based on votes by industry experts worldwide. The international mobility service provider received the top ratings for the high levels of quality of its services and products.
The World Travel Awards were presented in a ceremony at the CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Heinz Verhaegh, Managing Director of Sixt’s activities on the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Maarten, and Saint Barthelemy, accepted the award from Graham Cooke, President of the WTA. Louis and Allison Ratchel, Branch Manager and Operations Manager of Sixt on the island of Saint Martin, also attended the event. In recent years, Sixt has received many prizes in various categories at the World Travel Awards for its high-quality and comprehensive services and products.
Ryanair, launched a ‘Crazy Fares’ sale across Europe, with fares from £9.99 for travel in January on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which must be booked before midnight Monday the 5th of January.
Customers across Europe already choose Ryanair for its low fares and wide route selection, and now they can also enjoy allocated seating, a free second carry-on bag onboard, avail of reduced fees, a new website, a smartphone app with mobile boarding passes, and Family Extra and Business Plus services, making Ryanair the ideal choice for families, business and leisure travellers.
Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:
“To celebrate the New Year, we’re launching a ‘Crazy Fares’ sale across Europe, with fares from £9.99 for travel in January on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which must be booked before midnight, Monday 5th of January – making Europe’s lowest fares even lower. Customers should log on to Ryanair.com and choose a New Year break – but they need to be quick as this amazing sale ends at 24:00hrs on Monday, 5th January.”
Buy2Greece.com 